Post Game: Pitino-1, Bo-0

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MadtownGopher said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Minnesota now has serious equity w wins over Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Florida State. Gophers building an NCAA resume under Richard Pitino.</p>— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) <a href="https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/statuses/426202992090415104">January 23, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Richmond beat UMASS tonight too 58-55
 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Richard Pitino's stock keeps rising -Gophers beat Badgers- Richmond upsets Mass- Duke gets solid D & plays with passion to rout Miami!</p>— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) <a href="https://twitter.com/DickieV/statuses/426215207619538944">January 23, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Wonder what the local kids Vaughn, Reid, Tyus, and JP think of the Gophers exceeding everyone's expectations. Probably not too much right now, but it would be interesting to know if we continue to win.
 


MadtownGopher said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Richard Pitino's stock keeps rising -Gophers beat Badgers- Richmond upsets Mass- Duke gets solid D & plays with passion to rout Miami!</p>— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) <a href="https://twitter.com/DickieV/statuses/426215207619538944">January 23, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Managed to still get a Dukie prop in there. Dickie V still has it.
 


MadtownGopher said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Gopher game flow Gophers vs Badgers <a href="http://t.co/XjQpLSs6ga">pic.twitter.com/XjQpLSs6ga</a></p>— Jashon Cornell (@Jay_Rock16) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jay_Rock16/statuses/426201450209751040">January 23, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Awe inspiring game. My bald head is down in the lower left of that photo. The students had the place rocking from beginning to end. Mo and D were da bomb!
 

MadtownGopher said:
Wonder what the local kids Vaughn, Reid, Tyus, and JP think of the Gophers exceeding everyone's expectations. Probably not too much right now, but it would be interesting to know if we continue to win.
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I was thinking the same thing watching the game.
 

MadtownGopher said:
Wonder what the local kids Vaughn, Reid, Tyus, and JP think of the Gophers exceeding everyone's expectations. Probably not too much right now, but it would be interesting to know if we continue to win.
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I wonder how Reid's feeling the most. The others have their agendas and are getting what they want. Reid wanted to stick around and instead is going to be hitting the road, traveling nearly 2000 miles to join a dumpster fire.
 





Myron: Pitino building something at Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS -- It’s eerie, really.

He stalks the sideline like him. When he pauses and folds his arms to survey the action on the floor, he stands just like him.

He enters the postgame press conference following 40 minutes of scrappy play against a nationally ranked opponent and his hair is still slick and neat. His father’s hair also stays flawless throughout the night.

If you close your eyes as he begins to speak, you don’t hear him.

He even sounds like Rick Pitino.

And he coaches through drama like him, too.

As Andre Hollins, his best player, limped to the locker room following a nasty ankle injury he’d suffered on his team’s first possession, Richard Pitino gathered his players and issued a charge.

“He said, ‘Our best player went down, but somebody needs to step up because we’re a team,” Minnesota forward Oto Osenieks said after his squad’s 81-68 victory over No. 9 Wisconsin on Wednesday night. “Players did.”

From that moment, the Gophers outplayed a Wisconsin squad that has now lost three in a row. But the Badgers’ woes -- beginning with another subpar defensive effort inside (Minnesota scored 48 points in the paint) -- were the sidebar.

Pitino dismissed his team’s chief rival at the Barn in his first season, a week after knocking off Ohio State in the same building.

That’s the story.

Minnesota is now an unlikely 4-3 Big Ten team with victories over Ohio State and Wisconsin. Entering the season, an NIT bid seemed reasonable for a squad that had lost all-conference big man Trevor Mbakwe and two other starters. Now, the Gophers are positioned for an NCAA tourney invite and a surprising finish in league play.

After Wednesday’s win, it’s clear that Pitino is not just rebuilding. He’s hosting a season-long episode of “Pimp My Program.”

Maurice Walker came off the bench and dropped 18 points and nine rebounds. Malik Smith finished with 14. Dre Mathieu added 18 points. And Austin Hollins recorded a second-half dunk that rocked Twitter, the highlight of his 11-point, four-steal effort.

The Gophers shot 59 percent from the field against the typically stingy Badgers. They didn’t miss a free throw (11-for-11). Wisconsin never led.

Andre Hollins witnessed most of the action from the training room. When he rejoined his team on the bench after halftime, he had a boot on his right foot as a result of an injury that won’t be completely diagnosed until a Thursday morning MRI.

Once their top scorer left the court, the Gophers could have crumbled. Probably should have.

Instead, they -- pick the cliché -- pulled together. They regrouped. They overcame the odds.

There’s nothing typical, however, about this program’s rise in Pitino’s first year.

Two years ago, Mathieu, a 5-foot-9 point guard, was a walk-on at Morehead State who ultimately ended up playing for Central Arizona junior college when MSU wouldn’t offer him a scholarship. Smith wasn’t an all-conference player in the Sun Belt last year but he’s a solid presence for Pitino. Walker lost 65 pounds after Pitino told the big man that he’d have a hard time excelling in his up-and-down, pressing system.

There are many overachieving underdogs on this roster.

That’s why there’s a certain swagger that these Gophers boast now. They’ve taken on their coach’s mentality.

“Coach tells us we [have to] be confident,” Mathieu said. “Don’t have an ego but be confident and know that we can play with anybody in this conference if we play hard.”

When he arrived last spring, some wondered if the 31-year-old Pitino could vie in a league with Bo Ryan, Tom Izzo, Thad Matta and other tenured coaches who’ve been in the profession for as long as he’s been alive.

Pitino smiled and talked about how much he respects the coaches in the league when he faced questions about his youth and inexperience -- his one-year stint at Florida International last year was his first head coaching gig -- and whether they could be hindrances.

If he’s anything like his father, then he viewed those doubts as challenges.

Think I’m too young for this? Just wait.

The Gophers can feel that quiet fearlessness. They thrive on it.

If there’s anything that Ohio State and Wisconsin and other programs around the country have proven in recent weeks, however, it’s that winning streaks can be replaced with successive losses. Quickly.

Seasons can turn on one bad week, especially for a squad that could lose its best player for an undetermined stretch.

Pitino is certainly ahead of schedule, though.

“I didn’t have any type of expectations at the beginning of the year just because I really didn’t know what I was getting into at the beginning of the year,” Pitino said. “I do think that we’ve got very good chemistry when things are clicking.”

This start, by all accounts, has superseded what the program’s limits appeared to be when Pitino began this venture last spring.

Maybe he’s building something.

The wins and losses in the coming weeks -- and years -- will ultimately determine that.

But an odd thing happened after Wednesday’s win.

The Gophers hadn’t just defeated any Big Ten team. They’d upset Wisconsin without one of their top players.

The Gophers and Badgers hate one another. Proof?

“I tell people how much I respect [Wisconsin’s] program and Ryan and they look at me like they want to knock me out,” Pitino said.

Given the circumstances, those fans had every right to storm the court. Forget the unofficial rules about what’s proper in those situations.

Their new coach had just completed the best win of his first season. And the team that those fans love to beat more than any team in the world could have turned the Barn into their afterparty.

But they stood there and cheered. They never left their seats.

Perhaps they didn’t move because Wednesday night’s outcome is slowly becoming the new expectation in Minneapolis.
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ulmer During the gopher caravan last summer Pitino was introduced to the crowd and was talking about how he intended to just run past everyone. I pointed out that he had`nt played Whisky yet (thought I was pretty clever) and with all do respect I did`nt think he`d run past Bo. I STAND CORRECTED.
 

Hey Becky...We didn't storm the court because we " expect " to beat you...

I'm sure the favorite song on all the Becky buzz boards this morning: " 96 Tears " Bo ball is old ball!
 



Definitely not your typical Wisky team. Decker is really good and Hayes could be something special.
 



Sparlimb said:
Mo obviously played his best game of his career tonight and was just a beast. I actually was surprised how small Wisconsin was in the paint, and Mo sure took advantage of that. I sure hope this is a case of a player getting it (queue Oto), as opposed to a one night stand. Granted the storyline for the next game is seeing Elliot play at Nebraska again...
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He dropped to 250 but took up space in the post like he is still 320. Loved the way he demanded the ball and took it to the rack with authority and showed emotion. Hey madtown I'm starting to be a believer in Mo. Hope he keeps it up consistently.
 

CentralGopher said:
He dropped to 250 but took up space in the post like he is still 320. Loved the way he demanded the ball and took it to the rack with authority and showed emotion. Hey madtown I'm starting to be a believer in Mo. Hope he keeps it up consistently.
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Sounds like they also did what the coach said. Amazing how that works.
 

In the post game interviews one of the players (I think Mo) mentioned that all of the players have 1-on-1 workouts every morning that are tailored to the players weaknesses. I think that is a big reason why we have seen so much improvement from the players that were on the team last year.
 

It can't be overemphasized that the Gophs made all their free throws. Each one was crucial.
 

Gophers on the front page of ESPN's College Basketball Page.

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The game was highly entertaining. I like that the team was able to maintain at least a 7 point lead throughout and never let Wisconsin get close. They just looked and played very confidently. Watching little Dre getting dribble penetration and putting up those soft floaters is awesome!
 

MadtownGopher said:
In the post game interviews one of the players (I think Mo) mentioned that all of the players have 1-on-1 workouts every morning that are tailored to the players weaknesses. I think that is a big reason why we have seen so much improvement from the players that were on the team last year.
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I believe in the past it was something the players had to do on their own time if they wanted to. This is a breath of fresh air.
 

MadtownGopher said:
In the post game interviews one of the players (I think Mo) mentioned that all of the players have 1-on-1 workouts every morning that are tailored to the players weaknesses. I think that is a big reason why we have seen so much improvement from the players that were on the team last year.
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Have heard him mention this previously on his Monday nite radio show.....espn1500 6:30 - 7:30 PM. Really a good listen, and I don't like coach shows.
 

Last night I heard a stat, wondering if someone can confirm it: We have had a double digit lead in every single conference game we've played this year. Is that right? Pretty interesting stat that further suggests we can play with anyone.
 

MadtownGopher said:
Last night I heard a stat, wondering if someone can confirm it: We have had a double digit lead in every single conference game we've played this year. Is that right? Pretty interesting stat that further suggests we can play with anyone.
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Totally. It means as soon as our D starts clicking, this team can do some damage!
 


MadtownGopher said:
Last night I heard a stat, wondering if someone can confirm it: We have had a double digit lead in every single conference game we've played this year. Is that right? Pretty interesting stat that further suggests we can play with anyone.
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I thought I heard that the Michigan game was the lone exception to that.
 


Malik has come so far sine the beginning of the season. Such a huge addition to the team. He's surpassed even the most optimistic expectations when we heard he was transferring. Dude is as clutch and fearless as they come.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Smith had 14 points, three assists & zero TOs in 34 minutes basically replacing Hollins for most of the game last night against Wisconsin.</p>— Marcus R. Fuller (@GophersNow) <a href="https://twitter.com/GophersNow/statuses/426399854860840960">January 23, 2014</a></blockquote>
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